https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2024/10/18/germany-must-shed-its-reputation-as-europes-soft-underbelly/
Since this article talks about russian and german culture, it's worth noting that they are similar in many ways that might surprise us.
We hear nothing but negative bitter crit of all things russian these days, but it is worth considering whether russia could play a useful and positive role
a) counter balancing the very negative influence of america on us europeans and more generally, could russia save us from the decline of the west? and
b) whether conservative-minded readers of this blog might not find we have rather more in common with russian culture than we would like to admit...Worth thinking about? Ok, read on Horatio...
If you offer russian people the choice between their existing culture and a liberal-democratic culture as largely found across Europe, you can be sure you would immediately be shown the door. They had a bellyfull of that in the 1990s.
Instead, Russia offers a communal, nationalist ethos - a cultural and societal mindset that emphasises the collective identity and unity of a nation, often placing the interests and values of the group or community above those of the individual.
Russia's alternative cultural model is resistant to neoliberalism, much like Germany's in some respects. Remember that neoliberalism is not the same as liberalism, neoliberalism is what has given us all these forever wars, i believe Germany is no longer a threat in that respect..
It may surprise you to learn that Russia is a democratic society. You can see that from the polls, which give Putin a consistent near-80% popularity. But while it is democratic (hooraaaay), it is also to some extent authoritarian (boooooh), and you can tell this by the poor treatment of minorities and from the composition of the governing class, which tends to be drawn from the oligarchs (but don't think that democracy in europe is any better! certainly not in the EU).
From what I can work out, russia offers a traditional culture, a nationalist spirit, a diverse though well integrated society (ethnically and religiously, russians are majority orthodox Christian from the days of bizantium, but has a large Muslim population in the caucases,
from the days I think of the ottomans), patriarchal by family type, meaning a somewhat rude authoritarian political culture, but is at the same time a popular democracy.
It is alleged to share with Germany, however, a certain violent family type, supposedly originating in "droit de cuissage", but from examining the historical record, this looks like a myth. Widespread violence in the family does lead to extremes in political culture, we know about that and which I cannot name, but let's just say it is expressed in n and c.
I don't see much wrong with a nationalist, conservative, traditional and religious culture, hopefully not too exaggerated, though I would prefer a liberal democracy that is real and not just the marketing propaganda of an elite class; and I can see a big boon in having a counter-weight to american influence in europe and a brake on our further decline into poverty and decadence.
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